An argument for preserving Southern culture

Shall we be ourselves, or what others wish us to be? That is the question those of us in Louisiana and the rest of the South must ask ourselves, for much of our traditional way of life is quickly dying, if not already in the grave.

For decades now Southerners have been told how ignorant and backward we are, how much better off we would be if we traded our old ways for modern practices. This, most have done, but what have we got for the trade? For villages where neighbors knew and cared for one another, the isolation and loneliness of the suburbs. For the beautiful, majestic horse, the soulless motorcar that kills and maims thousands each year. For the rich, melodic Southern dialect - the direct descendant of the high speech of Chaucer, Shakespeare and the Anglo-Saxons before them - the broken gibberish of texting and Twitter, or the regrettable sounds of those who reject their native tongue for another. For limited government and strong families, churches, and other local organizations, the cold iron of the all-powerful and ever-present government apparatus, before whom the naked individual weakly shivers.

This is only a start. Is it not obvious that we are the losers in this bargain? And not only the South, but any region of this unfortunate union of states that seeks to preserve her old customs. See what dull uniformity already has taken hold from east to west. Not that all innovations of the past century are altogether evil, but we must temper our use of them lest they destroy more than Chaucer.

But all is not lost. If we have the will and courage to do so, we can nurture back to health that which is withering. And should anything good appear to have perished from Southern life, there is hope here too: Does not Our Lord have the power to raise the dead?

In this work we needn't stand alone. 'Twere folly to do so. After all, the prayers of the righteous availeth much. Which is to say, seek the help of the saints, who stand boldly before Christ, interceding for their brothers and sisters still on earth. Especially should the South implore the aid of Saints Cuthbert, Dunstan and Ælfred, those great saints of England in her Orthodox Christian days when we were most ourselves, before Catholicism and Protestantism appeared in the world.

They watch over us still, those English saints and others (African, Celtic, French, Spanish), for Southerners are of those same lands and lineages. Seek ever their help and guidance, and see if we are not refreshed in the days to come.

America has always been something of a pleasant fiction, an unnatural union of different regions with distinct, unblendable cultures. The Midwest is real; the Northeast is real; the South is real. Remember this as Washington, D.C., continues her slide into arrogance, corruption and decay.

Walt Garlington is a writer who lives in Swartz.

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An argument for preserving Southern culture

Shall we be ourselves, or what others wish us to be? That is the question those of us in Louisiana and the rest of the South must ask ourselves, for much of our traditional way of life is quickly